LUBBOCK, Texas - The Lubbock Christian men's soccer team looks to stop a two-match losing skid and clinch a home match in the Lone Star Conference Tournament, facing Texas Permian Basin on Saturday, Oct. 29 for senior night.

Texas Permian Basin (4-5-5, 2-3-3 LSC) at Lubbock Christian (7-7-3, 4-3-1)
Saturday, Oct. 29 - 7 PM
Lubbock, Texas - LCU Soccer & Track Facility

CHAP HEADERS
• Lubbock Christian is coming off a 3-0 loss to Dallas Baptist on Wednesday. LCU faced 20 shots in that contest, the most this season and the first time an opponent has tallied 20 shots in a match since Oklahoma Christian did on Sept. 22, 2021.

• Jasper Reese has played all 90 minutes in every single match so far this season. The last time Reese came off the pitch in a start for the Chaps was in the 60th minute on Nov. 3, 2021 against Texas Permain Basin. Reese recorded his first career assist on Oct. 5 against No. 16 Oklahoma Christian on the game-winning goal.

•  Tariq Bakkali has now tallied 56 total points in his LCU career, second most all-time.  Bakkali is tied with Nick Gorrie for second most shots on goal in a career with 46. Bakkali broke the school record for career matches played on Oct. 19, playing in his 73rd match as a Chap against Texas A&M International. 

- Prior to Saturday night's match, the Chaps will honor seven seniors; Richard Alvarez, Tariq Bakkali, Pablo Galietero Diez, Felipe Mira, Jasper Reese, Federico Said, and Brock Walkowski.

- If LCU wins or ties with Texas Permian Basin, the Chaps will clinch a home game for the first round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament. A loss means that LCU will need Eastern New Mexico to win or tie with Oklahoma Christian to clinch the final home seed.

BAKKALI IS BALLIN'
With a goal and an assist against West Texas A&M, Tariq Bakkali became just the second LCU player in program history to record at least 50 career points, with 56 during his time in Hub City. Bakkali's 23 career goals rank second all time, while his 116 career shots are third most all-time. His 46 shots on goal are second most in program history.

THE NOT SO SECRET WEAPON
After returning from injury against West Texas A&M on Oct. 1, Pablo Galietero Diez, the senior picked up right where he left off with a penalty kick goal against No. 8 Midwestern State. Galietero Diez leads the team in goals (7) and shots on goal (17). He now sits tied with Nick Gorrie for the fourth most points in a career with 42. He is also tied with Fernando Flores for third most career goals with 18. Galietero Diez now ranks fourth all time in career points with 44. In the season opener against Adams State, Galietero Diez scored three goals and picked up an assist, finishing with seven points, the second most points in a single match in program history. Galietero Diez just saw a streak of four straight matches with one goal scored, earning his first career LSC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 18.

I CAN SEE FOR MILES AND MILES
In his first season as a Chap, Tom Miles is already making a mark on the record books, recording five shutouts this season, including two in a row against Eastern New Mexico and UT Tyler. That is already the fourth most for any goalkeeper in LCU history and is the second most in a season for any LCU goalkeeper ever. His .789 save percentage is the third best in program history for a single season. His 56 saves this season are the seventh most in a single season for any Chap goalkeeper.

IT'S NEVER EASY
This season, the Chaps played six matches against nationally ranked teams. LCU fell 1-0 earlier in the year to no. 25 CSU Pueblo before knocking off no. 18 West Texas A&M 2-1 later in the year. LCU earned 0-0 draw with no. 4 Midwestern State before knocking off no. 16 Oklahoma Christian for their first conference win of the season. LCU took a 1-0 lead on no. 8 Midwestern State, before a pair of Mustang goals pushed MSU to the 2-1 victory. Recently, Lubbock Christian tied no. 8 St. Mary's 1-1 with a goal in the 64th minute, but the Rattlers scored the game-winner with just 2:23 left to give LCU their first home loss in over a year. The Chaps are 6-16-2 all-time against nationally ranked teams, and 2-3-1 against ranked teams this season.

FURTHER BACK
The Lubbock Christian men's soccer program began in 2010 with a 3-1 win against the University of the Southwest (N.M.). On Nov. 9, 2021 in the opening round of the LSC Tournament, the Chaps won their 100th match in program history, rolling over UT Permian Basin 6-0. The Chap program enters the 2022 season with an overall record of 101-81-23.

ROAD WOES
The Chaps are currently 2-6-1 in true road matches, being outscored 16-8 this season. LCU had a two-game, road match winning streak snapped with a 3-0 loss to DBU in Dallas. Lubbock Christian has not had a winning record on the road since 2018 when the Chaps went 5-4-1. 

IN THE MOUNTAIN AIR
LCU has played ten games in program history within the state of Colorado, going 5-9-0 there all time. The first-ever Chaparral trip to the Centennial State was a successful one, as they beat Colorado Christian 5-1 behind a hat trick from Mbongeni Ndlovu on Sept. 11, 2015. They also beat Adams State 2-1 on that 2015 trip. Last season, LCU went 1-1 in the Centennial State, falling 3-1 to Fort Lewis in Durango, while defeating Adams State 3-0 in Alamosa. The Chaps went 1-3 in Colorado this season, knocking off South Dakota Mines 4-0 in Denver, before dropping matches to MSU-Denver, UC-Colorado Springs and no. 25 CSU Pueblo on the road.

NEW YEAR, NEW TEAM
LCU will feature an astonishing 24 new players on the 2022 Fall roster. Of those new players, 12 are true freshmen, while the other 12 are transfers from either the junior college ranks or other universities. It is a diverse group, with seven players from Texas, four from England, four from Brazil, and the rest from Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Spain internationally, along with new faces from Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin in the states.

PRESEASON POLL
For the first time since joining the Lone Star Conference, the Chaps earned a first-place vote in the preseason polls, slotted to finish fourth in the LSC this season. The last time the Chaps earned a first-place vote was prior to the 2014 season, when LCU earned four first-place votes and were predicted to finish second in the Heartland Conference.
 
THE CONE ERA HAS BEGUN
 - Collin Cone was hired as the Head Men's Soccer Coach at Lubbock Christian University in April of 2022, coming to LCU after leading the men's soccer team at LeTourneau University for the last four seasons. He posted back-to-back winning records in 2021 and the 2020-21 season, and had the team improve in every year he was the head coach. The YellowJackets 6-5 showing in the 2020-21 season was the program's first winning season since 2010.
- Cone also spent three years at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana. He played a key role in the recruiting efforts for the Lancers while working with the goalkeepers. In his final season at Grace, the Lancers won the Crossroads League Championship for the first time in 25 years and made it to the NAIA National Championship for the first time in 35 seasons. Cone's time at Grace as a coach was marked by one conference championship, one NAIA national championship, two NCCAA National Tournaments, and two regional tournament titles.

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
- Texas Permian Basin enters the contest 4-5-5 overall and 2-3-3 in the Lone Star Conference after a 4-1 loss to Midwestern State. The Falcons are currently the first team out of the LSC Conference Championship, sitting at seventh place and two points out of the sixth and final spot for the postseason.
- Gustavo Barroso ranks third in the conference with 20 points this season. Barroso is also tied for fourth in the LSC with seven goals this year, while his six assists are tied for second in the Lone Star.
- The Falcons have been issued 44 yellow cards, the second most in the LSC, and three red cards, tied for the most in the conference. UTPB is actually behind LCU in total fouls committed, ranking fifth in the conference with 183. LCU is fourth with 186.
- The Falcons .667 save percentage is the second lowest in the conference. UTPB does have three shutouts this season, including most recently against Oklahoma Christian.
-Victor Domingues is in his first year as head coach of UTPB after three years as an assist and interim coach. Domingues helped lead the Falcons to their first winning season since joining the LSC in the spring of 2021. The Falcons tied for the second best scoring average in the league and had the second most saves in the league.

THE SERIES WITH THE FALCONS
UTPB leads the all time series 7-6-2. LCU knocked off the Falcons in their last meeting 6-0 in the first round of the 2021 LSC Championship to earn the program's 100th victory. Of the 15 all-time meetings between the two teams, nine games have been decided by one goal and four have been decided in overtime. UTPB is 6-2-1 in the last nine meetings.

A WIN (or draw) WOULD
- Give LCU a home match for the first round of the Lone Star Conference Tournament

UP NEXT
LCU will try to return to the Lone Star Conference Championship match, beginning with a first round contest on Tuesday, Nov. 1. Seeding will be announced following the conclusion of the match on Saturday.